Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-12-17
IN OLD MEXICO.
lettings FROM TRAVELS HERE
AND THERE.
Current Happenings in the Cactus
Country of the Aztecs, and
Their Descendants,
IREcoRD-UvIoN Special Oorrespondence.i

city before the circus is opened% eX-
claimed a Mexican friend, in unhounded
surprise, as we were starting off on a few
DAYS iaunt into the intorSor So highly is
the circus esteemed in this ccantry, that
should Barnum come Gown here with his
"greatest show on earth" j am not sure
but that the people, in their wild enthusi-
asm, would depose Presiden. Diaz at once,
and make the veteran sbewman ruler of
the nation
Strange TO say, there arc no perambulat
ing circ1ses in Mexico. The one instite-
ton of the kind is established in this city,
conducted by the Orrin brothers, and is
open four-ffths of the year. 1t is really
more like variety" performance ia a
third-rate theater than a regular circus.
The building itself is of wood, with canvas
roof-haf plaza de torres, half theater-
with parqaette, pit and boxes. That it is
appreciated may be inferred from the vast
amount of gratuitous advertising the Or
rims receive from the Mexican press. OF
late the city papers have been insisting
that programmes of each performance
should be distributed early in the day, in
stead of inside the circus building, so that
people may knew what to expect. The
Mexican custom of the plaza de torros-te
send a company of clowns or helmeted
knights through the streets on horseback,
attended by band of music, to scatter
handbills broadcast among the populace-
suits best here.
THE PEOPLE LIKE EXCITEMENT,
And are easily stirred to frenzy of APP
probation or displeasure. When a per-
former pleases them, they think nothing
of showering him with coins and jewels,
as well as with roses, taking the horses
from his carriage and hauling him through
the streets themselves, as they served
Nine. Patti, and committing thousand
other extravagances. If he displeases
them, woe be unto him, for they are as
ready to shout " kill him." and to hurl
chairs and benches from the galleries upon
his devoted head.
In common with other Southern races,
these people are devoted to amusements,
and take to music as naturally as sparks fly
upward The other day the City Council
of the National Capital voted "subven-
tom Subsidy of 5000 to an italian opera
company. Within the last year
Has been developed viz: to food the
arena with electric lights, which seems to
craze the animals, making the tamest bull
a bowling terror. At a recent perform
ance of this kind-in the Colon plaza, near
the City of Mexico-ten electric lights
were thrown upon the scene, causing the
gaudy uniforms and decorations of the
metadors and the diamonds Of fair specta-
tors to blaze with unusual brilliancy. \
very large and fashionable audience was
gathered, including the President and sew
eral members of his Cabinet. The terrible
vim with which the frantic torros rushed
about, goring horses and laying out men,
was greeted with unbounded delight, as a
renaissance of better days.
Speaking of bull-fghts, one soon be-
comes hardened to that sort of thing III
Mexico, and even to relish the peculiar
excitement; but when the promoter of the
cruel sport is woman, as is not unfre
quently the case, there is something st
revoltingly unnatural about it that the
most sophisticated American turns away
in disgust. 1t was my fortune some time
ago to see Senorita Hernandez, the mos
famous
FEMALE BULL FIGHTER
In the world. So fearfully exciting wa,
the so-called "sport" that the five thou
sand people in the plaza de torros were
upon their feet in a state of the
widest confusion. Men yelled themselves
hoarse and women tainted, all because q
slender young girl had nerve enough tc
throw herself III the path of fierce bull
and pierce him to the heart by a single
thrust. 1t was her farewell performance
and the strongest and fiercest torros in the
country had been advertised for. To make
the novelty greater, it was announced thai
Senorita Hernandez would fight upor
stills, armed with only short sword, and
with none of the usual desenses and loop
holes of escape, so that in every case il
was victory or death to the brave girl.
The animals provided were small, active
and wholly untamed, and the horns o
each We're trimmed and polished till the
points were bright as needles, and almost
as sharp. Never did veteran picador per
form more expert work than was coolly
executed by this youthful senorita. Al
the bull, mad with rage, would make hi
furious charge, she stood perfectly still UNI
til he had approached within three feet
when, suddenly springing aside as the ami
NAL rushed by, with one hand she would
slap him in the face with the scarlet cloal
which had first aroused his anger, anG
with the other hand dexterously thrus
into his neck a gaudy bdndeTilLa whose
sharp barb, as it pierced his flesh, caused
him to roar with rage and pain.
Thus, charge after charge was made by
the maddened brute, only to be always
eyaded by the active girl. She played
him, plagued him and tortured him, as a
naf l,-+ IL
ing, sore and completely exhausted with
no more. Three wild bulls were worn out
in this way by the ftr Castilian; and
then, wearied as she must have been, came
the climax in the fulfllment of her adrer.
tised obligation-to kill bull with q
sword scarcely two feet long, while stand
ing on stills directly in front of him The
animal selected for this
DEADLY CONTEST
Was beautiful specimen of his race
black, agile, savage and wild. He was nc
sooner in the arena than ready for battle
After he had been permitted to make two
or three charges, to warm him for his
work. the Governor of the District fwho
presided on the occasion), gave a signal
and the bugle sounded the death call. -
The habitues of the bull-ring turned pale.
and the silence Of the grave reigned
throughout the vast theater The slight
young girl, with stills securely fastened to
her limbs, received theshort sword, saluted
the Governor, and turned toward her en-
envy with little shout of defiance, waving
her scarlet cloak to excite his anger. At
this moment the distance between them
was about two hundred feet The toro,
quiyering with excitement and paving the
earth in the herceneSs of his rage, needed
no second ing-itation With cleaning
eyes and head lowered TO the ground, he
started at full speed for the object of his
hate. She calrlly waited until he was
within twenty feet, when-hraeing herself
firmly on her short stilts-she held the
little sword at shoulder hight, ready for
his coming What ever nav have been
her thoughts in that supreme moment, it
was a fearful time for the spectators.
When the huge brute was wSthin four
feet, she threw herself suddenly forward.
gave one quick thrust with the swerd. and
without waiting 10 nofa tho af3ao. r Il